‘Bubble barrier’ among finalists for Prince William’s prize

LONDON — A bubble barrier that prevents plastic waste from reaching the ocean is one of 15 initiatives named as finalists for the year’s Earthshot Prize, a global competition aimed at finding new ways to protect the planet and tackle climate change. The prince and his charity, the Royal Foundation, launched the prize in 2020 inspired by U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “Moonshot” speech that challenged Americans to go to the moon by the end of the decade. Among the finalists are The Great Bubble Barrier, a Dutch invention that pumps air through perforated tubes installed in riverbeds and canals to create a curtain of bubbles designed to push plastic up to the surface and into a waste collection system. Other projects include Fleather, a project in in India that creates an alternative to leather out of floral waste; Hutan, a conservation project in Malaysia to protects orangutans; and SeaForester, a cutting-edge seaweed farming effort meant to restore the ocean’s forgotten forests.